Tom Collins Recipe

Happy Hour: Tom Collins

In a memorable scene from season two of Mad Men, Don Draper instructs his 6-year-old daughter, Sally, how to prepare a Tom Collins for guests.

This gin sour drink, first created in the late 1800s, was a popular Summer sipper in the '50s and '60s, when it was known as "the king of cooling drinks." While it's currently fallen out of favor, perhaps the scene suggests that it's time to bring back this maraschino-topped crowd-pleaser.

I LOVE Tom Collins drinks, but unfortunately no bartenders seem to know how to make them. Consistently I would be asked by the bartender how to make the drink I ordered, so I eventually just gave up. Maybe appearing on Mad Men will bring them back?

i've had tom collins with soda and with tonic as well keiren. just out of curiosity but is tonic more commonly ordered with other mixed drinks leaving soda not avaliable in some bars? i don't know the answer, it's just a thought.